Crh Plc $CRH is Blue Grotto Capital LLC’s 7th Largest Position

Blue Grotto Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Crh Plc (NYSE:CRH) by 4.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 359,207 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 18,140 shares during the quarter. CRH accounts for about 5.0% of Blue Grotto Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Blue Grotto Capital LLC owned approximately 0.05% of CRH worth $43,069,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRH. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CRH during the 2nd quarter worth $1,007,932,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of CRH by 24.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 12,803,346 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,175,347,000 after acquiring an additional 2,499,558 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in CRH in the third quarter valued at about $295,798,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in CRH by 45.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 6,031,903 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $553,729,000 after purchasing an additional 1,881,550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in CRH by 229.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,811,126 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $217,154,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,558 shares in the last quarter. 62.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CRH Trading Down 4.2%

Shares of NYSE:CRH opened at $99.61 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $121.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $118.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.05, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.33. Crh Plc has a 52 week low of $76.75 and a 52 week high of $131.55.

CRH (NYSE:CRH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by ($0.68). The business had revenue of $5.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.15 billion. CRH had a return on equity of 15.98% and a net margin of 10.02%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.02 earnings per share. CRH has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.600-6.050 EPS. Analysts predict that Crh Plc will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

CRH Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. This is a boost from CRH’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. CRH’s payout ratio is currently 28.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CRH shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on CRH from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of CRH from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of CRH to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CRH in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.86.

About CRH

CRH plc, originally formed as Cement Roadstone Holdings in 1970 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a global building materials group. The company has grown from its Irish roots into one of the largest international suppliers of construction materials, expanding primarily through acquisitions and regional business development. CRH operates an integrated network of manufacturing and distribution businesses that serve both public and private construction markets.

CRH’s core activities include the production and distribution of aggregates, cement, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and other bulk materials, together with a broad range of value-added building products such as precast concrete, masonry, bricks, roofing products, pipe and drainage systems, and construction accessories.